A cutting-edge treatment for painful kidney stones may raise patients' risk of developing diabetes, according to a troubling study. Conducted by Mayo Clinic researchers in Rochester, Minnesota, the study monitored patients who had undergone a procedure known as shock-wave lithotripsy (SWL). Considered a non-invasive treatment, SWL involves the use of targeted sonic shock waves to disintegrate stones within the kidneys and urinary tract. The treatment was developed in the 1980s and has been in regular use ever since. According to the current study, SWL treatment can nearly triple the risk of developing diabetes. The study's authors believe that the increased diabetes risk may derive from SWL-related damage to the pancreas, but plan further research on the procedure.